I'm Really Not a Rabbit

"What do you think of that woman?"

"That pink-haired Cautus woman who insists she's a fox? She's very strange."

Lungmen Guard Department.

Superintendent Chen Huijie leaned against the window, gazing into the distance over the railing. Her pale blue dragon tail swayed behind her like a stubborn weed.

The atmosphere at the scene was somewhat discordant.

Hoshiguma frowned and looked down at her superior.

That twitching tail was utterly at odds with her imposing dragon horns, drawing all of Hoshiguma's attention. Instinctively, she knew something had happened. Chen was never like this normally—her dragon tail would only hang quietly, never sway back and forth like this.

Chen was excited.

Naturally, the object of her excitement was the person they had just mentioned.

The pink-haired Cautus.

The defining feature of the Cautus race was their long, soft ears, much like a rabbit's. That was not to say Cautus were as gentle as rabbits, but merely seeing those ears immediately gave people a soft, fluffy feeling and lowered their guard.

In truth, real Cautus were all very resilient.

The Guard Department was not situated very high, so the only thing visible outside the window was a forest of tall buildings. Dark tempered glass reflected the lights below, creating the bustling feeling of street lamps in the sky.

Time flowed silently, amid the worldly bustle and mortal clamor.

Chen drew a breath.

"I crossed swords with her... when she resisted arrest. She was holding a solid steel bar that she'd pulled from who knew where, while I had Chi Xiao's sheath."

"Uh..."

That person was not lying in the infirmary, but was obediently staying in the holding cell. Her life was not in danger.

No wonder Chen was excited.

"She was arrested together with Rope, right?"

Hoshiguma asked again, "Should we package that Cautus up and send her to Rhodes Island as well? Or do you have other plans?"

"We'll see."

For such a capable superintendent, that was an incredible answer.

Chen slowly moved away from the window, her face constantly shifting between light and shadow. She headed for the holding cells downstairs. By her reckoning, that clever little devil Rope should have begun planning her escape by now. In the past, they could turn a blind eye to it, but not today—not because of the friend who had suddenly appeared.

That pink-haired Cautus.

"Your family must be quite wealthy, right?"

"Huh?"

Hoshino sat obediently on the steel bench, uneasily tugging at her skirt hem. She had never worn such a short, constricting skirt before. There was a gap between her knee socks and skirt, and the coldness of the steel seeped up her thighs, making it impossible for her to settle down.

The person in front of her had suddenly asked that question. Hoshino let out a startled sound, not knowing what she meant.

The figure before her seemed somewhat familiar.

Leather clothes, rabbit ears, long light-purple hair...

But no whip.

The whip was the real body. Without it, Hoshino did not dare rashly identify this person as Rope.

But Hoshino recognized the officer who had crossed blades with her.

Not only did she recognize her, she was level 90 with max trust, and even had her cool third skill mastered to rank three.

The smooth steel surface reflected her image. With the dim light in the holding cell, Hoshino could clearly see her whole appearance: pink hair, fox ears, white thigh-high boots, and a shrine maiden's knot wrapped around her waist. She looked just like Gyakushinn Miko without a sword.

Why had she turned into a Honkai Impact 3rd character after transmigrating into the world of Terra?

Hoshino could not figure it out.

If she could not figure something out, she would leave it for later. Focusing on what was before her was what mattered most.

Hoshino shifted into a more comfortable sitting position.

"Why do you think I'm wealthy?"

She asked in confusion.

The woman suspected to be Rope answered smugly, "Because you're wearing white stockings. White is the easiest color to stain. Roll around on the ground a few times and they'll get dirty. Anyone who wears white must rarely walk and usually live somewhere with very little dust. You're wearing white stockings, and they're still this spotless. One look was enough for me to tell you're rich—the sort who has attendants open carriage doors for you whenever you go out."

"Your powers of observation are that sharp?"

"Not at all. Being able to spot rich people at a glance in a crowd is an innate talent of mine. I have to make a living, after all."

The other woman spoke with some pride.

Yep. That tone, that natural hand-rubbing gesture—this woman was definitely Rope.

What a shame.

Hoshino took a deep breath, intending to tell Rope that she was actually poor. She was not used to these white stockings either; the only reason she was dressed like this was because the Gyakushinn Miko battlesuit came with white stockings that never got dirty.

"But..."

A sudden change occurred, and Hoshino's words caught in her throat.

"While you weren't paying attention, I already searched your entire body. Regrettably, I didn't find anything proving your identity or financial status, but my ability to identify rich people has never been wrong."

Rope's words caught Hoshino by surprise. She had actually already felt up Yae Sakura's body?!

Hoshino felt somewhat awkward as she waited for Rope to finish speaking.

A faint glimmer shone in the latter's eyes. She looked like a traveler who had wandered through the desert for a long time and suddenly spotted an oasis—or perhaps a poor person who had suddenly glimpsed the hope of making a fortune. A [big score] was waving at Rope.

"If... I take you out of here, how much can you or your family pay me?"

"..."

Hoshino blinked.

The moment Rope extended her invitation, a ding sounded beside Hoshino's ear, making her jolt in fright.

[Mission: Help and protect Rope.]

[Mission Description: The hand of fate gently shifts, and subtle changes are taking place. Rope's prison-breaking abilities, once her pride and joy, have now become a ridiculous lie, as natural as rabbits loving carrots. No one can escape a Guard Department that is seriously on alert...]

[Mission Reward: Spirit Katana: Sakura Blossom.]

Hoshino closed her eyes, lost in a momentary daze.

She saw a dim weapon slot. In the lower corner of Spirit Katana: Sakura Blossom was a conspicuous chain icon, and beside it was a glowing character card—Yae Sakura in her Gyakushinn Miko form. Bright lines of light extended outward from Yae Sakura's character card like a wildly growing circuit diagram.

Looking farther, Hoshino saw even more characters from Honkai Impact 3rd.

However, their icons were still dim. When Hoshino condensed her consciousness into a cursor and hovered over them, she could only receive the prompt: [Current character not unlocked].

Could these characters only be unlocked after fulfilling certain conditions?

Hoshino was somewhat puzzled.

Why couldn't it just let her spend money directly?

For Honkai Impact 3rd, around two hundred thousand should be enough to spend her way through the entire gacha pool, right?

The system did not provide options to accept or refuse, as though it were entirely voluntary. However, Hoshino had a slight collecting obsession. Looking at those dim, locked icons made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.

She opened her eyes.

An unwavering light shone in her pale blue pupils.

"I'll definitely get you out of here alive."

"?"

Wasn't that backwards?

Rope's ever-calculating mind was filled with nothing but confusion. She could not understand this "rich girl's" train of thought.